Voting for the new seven-member UKBGF Board, who will hold office for a two year period from January 2025, commenced on 15th September 2024 and will close at midnight on 13th October. The results will be announced as soon as votes are scrutinised and counted, and should be ready for announcement in plenty of time for the AGM on 28th November. If you are a current UKBGF member, but have not received a voting link and password, please request these by emailing contact@ukbgf.com as soon as possible and we will send you the details.
Below are the self-nominations for all twelve candidates listed alphabetically by surname. Under the regional election format, there is guaranteed to be at least one elected from each of the three regions (London/South East, Midlands/Wales/West, North/Scotland/Northern Ireland – for brevity L&SE, MW&W, NS&NI below) with the remaining four members of the Board selected from any region.
Martin Barkwill (NS&NI)
- Board member since 2023 serving as Treasurer.
- Accredited Organiser and active participant in its Forum where Tournament Directors and club officials can ask questions and exchange ideas with their peers.
- Chair of the North East Backgammon Association (NEBA), its 1st team Captain in the UK Clubs (Champions 2020) and WBIF Online World Clubs Championship (4th in 2022).
- UK 1st team Captain 2020 and 2021 (runners up). 2nd team Captain 2016 and 2017.
- Regular writer for the UKBGF blog page and the US Federation PrimeTime magazine.
- Part of the team bidding to host the WBGF World Teams Championship in the UK in 2026.
With the help of my club colleague, Mike Snowdon, we are getting more blog articles published including entertaining and informative articles by Will Cockerell, features on clubs to advertise themselves and news of UK and major overseas events.
I post regular updates on social media of UK and overseas events I participate in providing useful publicity.
I have raised funds privately to assist one of our most promising rising stars to play in major international events.
For the future I intend to continue backing the efforts of the UK Captain to win the World Team Championships at the earliest opportunity by supporting reasonable requests. I shall also promote initiatives aimed at intermediates. I was greatly encouraged by the willingness expressed by BMAB Masters to pair up with eligible intermediates for the UK Open Doubles event and am motivated to try other initiatives.
Tiberiu Bostan (L&SE)
Hi, I like to put myself for this committee. I discovered backgammon in the UK about 8 years ago and I meet so many wonderful people and learn things that bring joy in life. I feel like I own something and I will be happy to return from my time and come up with new ideas in how we can grow the
community, to bring new people in, to grow the competition in both ways as
pure competition or PR competition. Thank you all!
John Georgiou (MW&W)
Dear Voter
Let’s advance this game we love, it’s stuck in the past, with rules and customs that are no longer fit for purpose.
Vote for me if you want to see the following implemented.
1) No Dead Cube Rule.
If a player wants to recube when they obviously shouldn’t that’s their fault, their mistake, their error. There should not be a rule that prevents someone making a strategic mistake.
2) Dice on checker.
If dice land on checkers after an otherwise legitimate roll and it’s clear which face of the dice is the top side then this is a valid/legal roll and should be played.
3) Speed Up Games.
Traditionally BG is a fast paced action game. Slow players ruin this.
90sec/match point+12sec delay is more than sufficient and should become standard times when playing any UKBGF ranking match/tournament.
Keith Gill (NS&NI)
I would like to be considered for election to the UKBG board for 2025 – 2026.
In the short time I have been seriously playing backgammon. Only since 2016, I have become involved in acting as tournament director for the Newcastle Open.
This year will be the 6th event I have been helped to run.
Other events include the Clubs Championship in 2019 and 2024. This years event was the biggest ever clubs championship with 28 teams in total.
I have acted as secretary for NEBA for the last two years and in that time the club has grown quite considerably.
We also hold a twice yearly 12 board team event against Central Scotland in Berwick
Next year we also have a new event. An intermediate event in February which has been accepted as part of the UKBGF tour.
If elected I will look to grow the game at all levels.
Julia Hayward (L&SE)
I hope that my last two years have lived up to expectations – running the Cambridge Open, the Charity Challenge, Women’s Online Championship and assisting at both UK Open and TWI; streaming a number of online matches, and getting interesting website content out to members; and captaining the UK Women’s Team both online and live.
Behind the scenes too – procuring trophies, transporting equipment, typing up results, curating the website, writing minutes and dealing with disciplinary matters. I want to carry on making sure the UKBGF lifts its standards and looks after the game as an enjoyable and welcoming experience for all. I also want to put more time into understanding our membership, and what more we can do to grow our numbers. The lack of women players at all levels has been noticed for a long time – I hope that as team captain I can make master-level play a goal more women aspire to, but also to build more participation at all levels.
Demand for live play is high; it’s great that tournaments sell out but this stands in the way of growth. I want to facilitate more and bigger events, resolving the practical problems that stand in the way, and have more resources available for our newer TDs to draw on to be successful. And I intend to visit more of the UK as a player in 2025-6, including tournaments I haven’t played at before – as a Board member I hope to be visible, accessible and experiencing the full range of what’s on offer.
Liviu Ionescu (L&SE)
I am Liviu Ionescu, a respected member of the backgammon community. With a deep passion for the game and unwavering commitment to its advancement, I seek election to the UK Backgammon Federation (UKBGF) Board. If chosen, I will bring fresh ideas and collaborate with fellow enthusiasts nationwide to shape the future of backgammon in the UK during the 2025-6 term.
Elmar Janahmadov (L&SE)
Despite being member of UKBGF since Feb 01 2024, I have known backgammon all my life. As part of the Greater Iranian culture, back in Azerbaijan the game is known as “Nard”. There are two well known variations of the game, the short nard (backgammon) and the long nard, also known widely as “shesh-besh”.
From early childhood in Baku or Lankaran, I watched as parents, relatives and neighbors played nard (backgammon) over a cup of tea in the “armudu” glass. The faces of the players vividly changed from a stubborn and vigilant observer behind the advancement of checkers and a set of combinations on playing dice to a fairly and majestic owner of “Mars”. Nothing will replace these warm memories from my childhood.
Now, with a passage of the time since I moved to London, and began to study the theory of probability more rigorously, the beauty of game backgammon has acquired a new meaning for me.
As a candidate member to the Board of UKBGF, I would like to concentrate on following activities of the federation:
- Promoting the growth of the game at all levels among under-represented groups
- Developing and evolving the UKBGF Tournament Rules
- Supporting both long-standing and aspiring tournament directors and club organisers
- Working with other backgammon associations and federations worldwide, for the benefit of all players
I believe in creating more diverse range of rules of the game to meet the public demand. The creation of tournaments of different format, with different game rules will contribute significantly to popularization of the game through different layers of society.
Backgammon, as a board game, contribute to integration and interchange of experience among various skill level of players. It is also help to attract many under-represented groups who have some experience of the game, but who are still passive in terms of joining UKBGF or other locals clubs within their own community.
Kevin Jones (NS&NI)
I have been playing backgammon for 30 years, at various times organising clubs, leagues and tournaments. I jointly organise the long-standing and successful Blackpool Imperial Cup tournament and the well-established North West league. As part of my role within the UKBGF I ran this year’s Tour Winner’s Invitational event and was one of the TDs organising this year’s UK Open.
I am a long standing member of the UKBGF and have served on the Board for the last 4 years, trying always to represent the interests of members. Additionally, I remain an active member of the Tour sub-committee, who hopefully help deliver a professional and prestigious tour.
I still believe the UKBGF provides the best opportunity to develop and grow backgammon in the UK. I want to help consolidate the good work already achieved by the UKBGF such as the Tour and associated Tour Winners Invitational. I stated in my 2022 nomination that I supported the development of more sub-committees to help steer the direction of the UKBGF. The UKBGF are taking this forward by reducing the board members and actively encouraging members to volunteer for sub-committee roles. I remain a strong supporter of this approach and using members with the relevant skills and passion to further develop the game.
I wish to represent players/clubs/organisers regardless of area. I’d love to have more players approach the board and its members with their ideas, suggestions, and concerns.
I want to see a fully inclusive environment where all players feel welcome: regardless of ability, background, gender, sexuality or age. Hopefully, this will lead to more people discovering and enjoying the delights of backgammon
I believe it’s vital to keep backgammon available to everyone by continuing to offer affordable, regional, and diverse events.
If anyone wishes to know more about my reasons for seeking election, or in fact, anything backgammon-related please feel free to contact me.
Seán Jones (MW&W)
I am offering to stand for the board again, for what will be a 3rd term. From my experience so far, much of the work carried out by the Federation is very player orientated and club positive, whether you be a Master or Intermediate. I would like to see us build on this further, develop initiatives for the benefit of all standards of play.
I would like to continue with our work supporting clubs up and down the UK, and if elected I intend to create a small subcommittee to assist with new club set-ups, so that we will have willing volunteers to visit new clubs, and offer advice where required.
I have built up 10 plus years of running a club, having organised over 25 tournaments successfully locally, with huge support from my fellow TDs in Worcester. Also, being part of the excellent team for the UK Open just gone.
Tony Lezard (L&SE)
I am standing again for membership of the UKBGF Board on the strength of my extensive experience supporting and developing backgammon nationally and internationally. I have served on the Board of the UKBGF since its inception as either a full member (three terms), or as a co-opted member, so am highly familiar with the work of the UKBGF and the challenges it faces.
I am the author and manager of the national ratings systems for live and online play, and provide advice to the UKBGF on ratings policy matters. I work proactively to maintain the integrity and quality of the National Ratings, and regularly release software updates and improvements to the system. Other recent work for the Board includes service on disciplinary subcommittees, supporting the activities and record keeping of the UKBGF’s Membership Secretary, and I played a key role in the development and testing of the UKBGF Accredited Organiser training package. I am a joint Tournament Director of the UKBGF Online League and developed much of the technology that enables it to run as smoothly as possible.
I have a close working relationship with organisations such as the WBGF, BMAB, and WBIF, and provide them with results management services and other technical support for their online presences. As a Board member, I will build on the UKBGF’s relationships with the international backgammon community, and promote openness and transparency in the work the UKBGF does for its members.
Andrew Selby (L&SE)
Reflecting on my statement from two years ago to help drive live play forward to the Membership, I took ownership of the UK Open 2023 producing and running it, on behalf of The Board, as a non-profit making event, free of additional registration fees.
In 2023 I also Tournament Directed UK Clubs Championship, London Open at the RAC, Players Championship ,Memorial and London Intermediate Championship.
I continue to run the monthly London club events, and I have further sought to expand the “educational” side of the game, creating London BMAB – that saw the first 32 player event seen in BMAB, and the first ever Intermediate BMAB.
Online, UKBGF League & Cup and UK National Championships I created continue to flourish and provide a free Members benefit.
I head the Junior and Youth section and recognise that, with the above more firmly established, a further two years will allow me to enhance its attraction to tomorrow’s generation.
I regularly help ensure members reap benefits for their commitment to joining the UKBGF. This includes free online events, financial discounts to all live events and, more recently, personally resourcing discounted clocks from China – provided to members and clubs at the same discounted price… boards are soon to follow !
This, plus the further promotions I want to share with the Membership if elected, are potentially dependent on funding. I am in applying for a charitable arm to the UKBGF and, If successful, believe this will provide potential outside sponsorship / donations for specific projects such as the junior website and a commitment of meaningful support to our Clubs and educational establishments.
Karen Slawek (NS&NI)
Yes, I’ve been bitten by the Backgammon Bug!
I currently run the Edinburgh Club, with the support of some dedicated members: Brian, June and Anandan amongst them, and we managed to pull together an Edinburgh team to play at York, 2024.
We normally play some friendly, casual games and then team games where we discuss the moves, ensuring everyone has the chance to learn and improve. We ran a celebratory, 2nd Anniversary tournament in 2024, and I will run more! A recent, very experienced, American visitor declared ‘this is the friendliest Backgammon Club ever’.
I am proud to have played for the Scottish Women’s Team in on-line Internationals with Ireland and England and play in several other on-line tournaments; regionally and internationally. You can often find me on Hub, ready for an Instant Challenge, or working my way back up that ladder. I have helped with the Scottish Opens and have attended a few live tournaments, as an Intermediate.
My experience in the voluntary sector is wide-ranging, having been on the board of Edinburgh Association for Mental Health and Edinburgh Samba School, writing the constitution and gaining charitable status. I currently sit on 2 other local community committees and value the democratic process they promote. I am well travelled and speak Spanish, having lived off-grid in Andalusia.
If elected, I am keen to network to support improvements for players and promote Scottish Backgammon in the UK and Internationally.
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